Controllable winking eye



March 18, 1969 BRUDNEY 3,432,963

CONTROLLABLE WINKING EYE Flled June 7, 1965 INVENTOR HARRY BRUDNEY ATTORNEY 3,432,963 CDNTROLLABLE WINKING EYE Harry Brudney, New York, N.Y., assignor to Dollac Division, Jacoby-Bender, Inc., Woodside, N.Y. Filed June 7, 1965, Ser. No. 461,711 US. Cl. 46-169 Claims Int. Cl. A63h 3/40 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The construction provides for a unitary doll eye hav ing an eyeball actuating pin carried by the doll eye casing as part of the unit. The pin is coupled to the eyeball and mounted substantially frictionlessly so that the weight carried by the eyeball can effect the usual opening and closing motions. However, by coupling an additional actuating element to the pin by means of a lost motion connection the eye can be manually opened or closed independently of the function of the weight.

This invention relates to a doll eye of the weight actuated sleeping type and more particularly to means for manually controlling actuation in addition to automatic weight actuation.

It is an object of the invention to provide a unitary type sleeping doll eye having conventional construction wherein additional manual action is added thereto in a simple and economical manner.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device of the kind described wherein an eye may be optionally opened by manual means from a weight actuated closed position or closed by manual means from a weight actuated open position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sleeping doll eye unit which can be inserted in the eye molded cavity of a conventional soft plastic doll head.

Still further objects of the invention are to provide manual actuating means having straight-line movement and requiring no springs or other bias means for effecting any particular position, and wherein the weight bias of the eyeball is not affected in its automatic operation except when overridden by force applied to the manual actuating means.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the description to follow:

Briefly, the invention comprises a conventional sleeping eye unit having the usual molded plastic eyeball and integral weight carrying tail wherein the tail is provided with means for engagement by a pin-type hook having an elongated shank extending through an aperture in the rear casing and having an end portion which can be manipulated to open or close the eye depending upon its initial open or closed condition.

The arrangement is such that either a weight is specially devised having a bore to take the end of the actuating pin, or a conventional weight is used in conjunction with a simple bracket clamped on the tail of the eyeball having a socket or bore for the end of the actuating pin, the latter being a preferred form.

A detailed description of the invention now follows in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational cross section of a doll head showing the unit of the invention in the eye cavity;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective in exploded form showing the details of the eyeball and pin securing bracket;

FIGURE 3 is an elevation in cross section showing the pin in position for actuating the open eye to closed position;

FIGURE 4 is an elevation in cross section showing the eye actuated to closed position;

States atent O FIGURE 5 is a section through 5-5 of FIG. 3; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective showing a modified form of pin connection for the eyeball combined with a weight.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to FIG- URE 1, a doll head 10 is disclosed having a doll eye unit 15 carried in the usual eye cavity 18, and comprising a conventional casing having a forward shell 22 with an eyeball aperture through which the eyeball 25 is visible and a rearward shell 23 through which a slida-ble pin 28 is reciprocal. The pin is supported in an eyelet 32 secured to the rear shell and terminates at its outer end in a flanged eyelet 35 which coacts with a lost motion claw connection 38 secured to a pin 41 which, for illustrative purposes, can pass slidably through the rear of the-doll head and terminating in a manually manipulatable button 44.

Referring to FIGURE 2, the eyeball 25 is of entirely con ventional construction having trunnions 49 and a tail 52 With spaced tongues, such as 54, and on which tail a metal weight 57 can be clinched. The eyeball, trunnions, and tail are of the usual integral plastic molded construction. The tail tongues effect a spacing 60 while the Weight is wrapped around them and provided at its upper portion with a spacing 63. Carried on the tail is a metallic bracket member 66 having a slot 69 through which the tail can pass, and it will be understood that the weight, when applied to the tail, is disposed to clamp the bracket 66 against the rear rim 6-8 of the eyeball so as to integrally secure the bracket thereto, as illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 5.

Bracket 66 has a pair of spaced tongues extending upwardly therefrom normally to the tail, one such tongue 67 being curled over to form a socket 72 and the other such tongue 75 being elongated to extend upwardly whereby the spacing between the tongues can receive the forward portion of pin 28, such forward portion being formed as a clearance arc 78 terminating in a transversely bent end portion to effect a trunnion 81 pivotal in socket 72.

It will be noted that the height of the are 78 is sufficient so that in assembly the pin can clear the tongue in order to effect insertion of trunnion 81 into socket 72. Thus, in assembly, with the rear of the eyeball exposed and bracket 66 in place, the pin is oriented at a downward slant so that the are 78 clears tongue 75 at which time trunnion 81 can be inserted in socket 72 and the pin then swung downwardly so that the arc can engage tongue 75 on sidewise movement, if trunnion 81 should slip out of the socket 72, that is, toward the right as viewed in FIG. 5. As long as the pin is in horizontal position it will be retained in pivotal connection with the bracket. Pin 28 has a free sliding and pivoting fit with bracket 66 and is retained as described above.

Horizontal position of the pin is assured by having the outer elongated shank 84 pass through an aperture through the rear shell 23 and being slidably guided in eyelet 32 secured to the rear shell. Thus, the pin 28 has only straight-line motion and its free sliding fit in eyelet 32, together with the free lit with the bracket is sufficiently loose so that the weight 57 can control eyeball movement regardless of the existence of the pin. Thus, in FIGURE 3, the weight 57 is shown biasing the eyeball to opening position and it will be noted that the pin has accordingly been retracted toward the right by virtue of such bias. At this time, the pin can be pulled outwardly as shown in FIGURE 4 to effect manual rotation of the eyeball to sleeping or closed position. Alternatively, if FIGURE 4 is considered a sleeping position, which would occur if the casing axis were vertical, the eyeball being closed by action of weight 57, pin 28 may then be pushed inwardly in the direction of the arrow of FIGURE 4 to cause the eye to be opened by manual force.

The claw 35 (FIG. 1) has sufficient lost motion as to permit the weight to cause outward movement of pin 28 when the casing is vertically disposed. At that time, button 44 can be pressed to open the eye. On the other hand, with the casing horizontally disposed and the eye open, button 44 can be pulled in the direction of the arrow shown in FIGURE 1 in order to close the eye.

It will be noted that the axis of socket 72 is below the trunnion axis (FIGURE 5) and in the actuation of the eyeball, the socket axis can swing in a traverse either forwardly or rearwardly of the trunnion axis as can be seen by comparison of FIGURES 3 and 4. Such arrangement of the axes, in conjunction with their proximity to each other, effects the functions described hereinabove and in addition gives a mechanical advantage to the weight so that it can overcome the inertia of the pin and any frictional impediment hindering pin movement, whereby the weight can control eyeball movement in the usual manner. At the same time, due to the proximity of the two axes, only a small linear movement of the pin is efiected for full swing of the eyeball. The pin should, of course, have preferably less weight than weight 57.

In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 6, all components are substantially the same as hereinabove described and the same reference characters are utilized, the distinction being that a weight 93 is used having a shoulder 96 extending forwardly therefrom and being provided with a bore which forms a socket for the trunnion 81 of pin 28. Here again, it will be noted that the weight has spaced upper portions so that the are 78 of the pin has clearance with respect thereto. Thus, the compactness of the mechanism is fully preserved.

It would, of course, be possible to rely entirely on the eyelet 32 to prevent trunnion 81 from sliding out of the socket of the arrangement of the preferred embodiment, or of FIGURE 6, but so doing could cause side friction for the extended length of the pin. Accordingly, the height of tongue 75 or of the weight portion 98 is preferred to insure retention.

What is claimed is:

1. A sleeping doll eye unit having a casing and an eyeball pivotally mounted therein with an aperture at the front of said casing to expose said eyeball, a weight attached to said eyeball to effect rotation to sleeping position when said casing is rotated so that the longitudinal axis thereof is vertical and to bias said eyeball to open position when said axis is horizontal, said eyeball having a tail extending toward the rear of said casing, said weight carried by said tail, a pin pivoted to said tail and having a shank extending rearwardly through the rear of said casing and being reciprocally slidable with respect thereto, said tail comprising a pair of spaced tongues, said pin having a clearance are disposed in a plane normal to the plane of the spacing of said tongues, said pin having an end portion bent normal to the plane of said are, and socket means carried by said eyeball providing a socket having an axis parallel to the pivotal axis of said eyeball, said end portion of said pin being rotatively disposed in said socket, said weight on said tail having a shoulder extending forwardly toward said eyeball and said socket means being an aperture in said shoulder, the axis of said socket being forwardly of the pivotal axis of said eyeball when said eye is in open position and being disposed to swing rearwardly of said eyeball axis when said eyeball is in closed position.

2. A sleeping doll eye unit having a casing and an eyeball pivotally mounted therein with an aperture at the front of said casing to expose said eyeball, a weight attached to said eyeball to effect rotation to sleeping position when said casing is rotated so that the longitudinal axis thereof is vertical and to bias said eyeball to open position when said axis is horizontal, said eyeball having a tail extending toward the rear of said casing, said weight carried by said tail, a pin pivoted to said tail and having a shank extending rearwardly through the rear of said casing and being reciprocally slidable with respect thereto, said tail comprising a pair of spaced tongues, said pin having a clearance are disposed in a plane normal to the plane of the spacing of said tongues, said pin having an end portion bent normal to the plane of said arc, and socket means carried by said eyeball providing a socket having an axis parallel to the pivotal axis of said eyeball, said end portion of said pin being rotatively disposed in said socket, said socket means comprising a bracket carried on said tail, said eyeball having a rear rim, said weight being disposed to clamp said bracket against said rear rim, said bracket having a pair of spaced tongues extending normal to said tail, one of said tongues being bent to effect said socket and the other of said tongues being elongated to effect a retainer for said pin, a forward portion of said pin adjacent said end portion being disposed intermediate said latter tongues.

3. A doll eye as set forth in claim 2, the axis of said socket being disposed below the pivotal axis of said eyeball and said socket being disposed so that the axis thereof can swing in a traverse forwardly or rearwardly of said pivotal axis of said eyeball when said pin is actuated.

4. A sleeping doll eye unit comprising a casing having forward and rearward portions, an eyeball pivotally mounted in said casing, a weight carried by said eyeball for effecting opening and closing action thereof, reversible manual actuating means for said eyeball comprising a pin having an arcuate portion within said casing spacedly encompassing a part of said weight to effect clearance thereof, said weight having spaced portions into which said arcuate portion can move when said pin is actuated, means carried by said eyeball for pivotal connection to said pin at the forward end of said arcuate portion, an aperture at the rear of said casing for slidably receiving a rearward portion of said pin wherein said rearward portion has straight-line motion for effecting eyeball actuation.

5. A doll eye as set forth in claim 4, including means having a lost motion connection with the rearward end of said pin for effecting manual actuation thereof.

'6. A sleeping doll eye unit having a casing and an eyeball pivotally mounted for rotation on an axis therein with an aperture at the front of said casing to expose said eyeball, a weight attached to said eyeball to effect rotation to sleeping position when said casing is rotated so that the longitudinal axis thereof is vertical and to bias said eyeball to open position when said axis is horizontal, said eyeball having a tail extending toward the rear of said casing, said weight carried by said tail, an actuating pin carried by said casing and means for pivotally assembling said pin to said tail on an axis below the pivotal axis of said eyeball, said pin having a shank extending rearwardly through the rear of said casing and being reciprocally slidable therethrough, including means having a lost motion connection with the rearward end of said pin for effecting manual actuation thereof in either reciprocal direction independently of axis position.

7. A sleeping doll eye unit as set forth in claim 6, said tail comprising a pair of tongues having a spacing therebetween, said pin being formed with a clearance are disposed in a plane normal to the pivotal axis of said eyeball and in a plane intermediate said tongue whereby, when said eyeball pivots to open position, said are is accommodated in the space between said tongues.

8. A sleeping doll eye unit for a doll head having a casing and an eyeball pivotally mounted for rotation on an axis therein with an aperture at the front of said casing to expose said eyeball, a weight attached to said eyeball to effect rotation to sleeping position when said casing is rotated so that the longitudinal axis thereof is vertical and to bias said eyeball to open position when said axis is horizontal, an eyeball actuating pin and connecting means for pivotally connecting said pin to said eyeball for elfecting reversible rotation thereof; said pin having a shank extending rearwardly through the rear of said casing and being reciprocally slidable therethrough, and means adapted to be manually actuated exteriorly of a doll head for optionally actuating said pin, whereby said eyeball may be rotated by said Weight or by manual force.

9. A doll eye as set forth in claim 8, said connecting means comprising a tail on said eyeball and a bracket carried on said tail, said bracket having a pair of spaced tongues; a socket means carried by one of said tongues and the other of said tongues being elongated to efiect a retainer for said pin when a portion of said pin is disposed intermediate said tongues and said pin having an end disposed rotationally in said socket means.

10. A doll eye as set forth in claim 9, said eyeball having a rear rim, said weight being disposed on said tail so as to clamp said bracket against said rear rim.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,022,286 11/1935 Henry 46-169 2,979,859 4/1961 Lossev 46-135 3,081,997 3/1963 Glass 46-135 XR 3,216,150 11/1965 Brudney 46-135 3,250,037 5/1966 Katz 46-169 3,295,253 1/1967 Gardel 46-135 3,298,130 1/1967 Ryan 46-169 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 24,843 1922 France. 601,768 1968 Italy.

ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner. 

